Tally Koren

Husky-voiced singer/songwriter Tally Koren draws from both her Middle Eastern heritage and present-day Western pop, earning the label of Israel's counterpart to Dido. A talent scout discovered her at fifteen, leading to steady runway work across New York before her vocal abilities surfaced during Israeli military service. Rejecting an extended American contract, she relocated to London and collaborated with Dave Dix, known for his work with Alison Moyet, along with Bill and Ken Foreman of Thrashing Doves. One song, "Like Brigit," advanced to the final round of Israel's national selection for the 1995 Eurovision Song Contest, yet her first solo release, the 2008 album Timeless Melodies featuring classical reinterpretations, arrived only after more than a decade. In 2010 she completed her initial mainstream pop effort, 72 Names, alongside Phil Curran and Yoad Nevo, whose credits include Pet Shop Boys and Sugababes; its opening track, "Beauty of the Duty," marked her earliest single to reach audiences beyond the Jewish music circuit. A Jewish studies graduate, Koren received a personal invitation to sing for Israeli President Shimon Peres, supplied the voice of an agent in the James Bond feature Quantum of Solace, and placed original material in the independent films The Man Who Sold the World and Cargo.